Darken
by StormAscendant
Summary: Darkness comes to the Destiny Islands, and Sora and Riku are taken away as babies to the future of Earth. Plotline centric, but Sora/Riku and AkuRoku. AU/Sci-Fi/Future Tech
1. Prologue

A/N: I'm not abandoning Cloudy Day, Stormy Night. At all. Trust me. This is another, new fic. I wrote it on Air France flight 1050, actually. Enjoy!

Thanks to my lovely, beautiful, nice, sisterly, amazing, and incredibly inspiring beta and adopted sibling, xkidrogue. Thanks, I couldn't have done it without you.

Prologue: Darken

_Prophecy, Book 1, Prologue_

_When the stars fade away,_

_When darkness falls,_

_The sun shall set forevermore._

_Unless..._

A chill wind blew across the sandy beach, uncharacteristic of the Destiny Islands. Sand blew in rivers, gliding over the beach below before gracefully dropping into the sea. The light of the setting sun cast a twilight glow over the entire scene.

_It is quiet. It is about to happen._

A cloaked figure stood, looking out on th endless sea, his dark robes fluttering in the wind like so many shadows. In his arms lay two babies, fast asleep. One had eyes of pure aquamarine and hair like silver fire. The other had deep cerulean eyes, reminiscent of the sky, and dark brown hair. The brunet shifted in his deep sleep. A small smile was brought to their guardian's face as he lay a pale hand on the infant's forehead.

_Sleep, little one. Night will fall soon._

The pale orange of the sun slipped below the horizon, throwing the palm trees and tropical plants into near darkness. Shifting slightly, the cloaked figure set the silver-haired baby down.

_Riku._

He extended his shrouded hand towards the sea, and made a motion as if to grab something. A brilliant flash of white light surrounded his fingers, causing them to glow brightly. A warm wind began to blow, causing the cloak to flow like water around him, and causing the spiky hair of the young baby to bob.

And then it was over, the white light departed. In it's place stood an enormous key, gilded with gold and silver.

_Keyblade._

In one swift movement, the guardian picked up Riku and swung the keyblade. In it's wake, a gleaming door of light began to form. Small motes of light twirled through the air before meeting to create a doorway. Hesitating for a moment, the cloaked figure looked around, almost regretfully. Then he tightened his hold on the two infants and confidently walked through.

_Doorway._

Abruptly, the glowing door vanished, and complete darkness took the islands once more. And high above, hundreds of doors began to open. Yet these were not the shining, bright doors of the Light. Instead, these were dark, curving, shadowy doors. These doors released only utter darkness. A wave of shadow swept across the tropical paradise, stifling the light, bringing night forevermore.


	2. Leaving the Nest

A/N: I'll try to make this story have rarer, but much longer chapters.

Once again, thanks to my wronged but forgiving beta, xkidrogue. Thanks sis! I'm sorry too. :(

"Sora! Time to get up!"

Bright cerulean eyes snapped open, shining with an inner light despite the early hour.

"Sora! Today's a big day! Not one to be spent in bed."

Groaning, the brown-haired teen looked down at his watch. _7:38 AM. When was the last time I got up this early? _Heaving himself out of bed, the brunet sighed. Tomorrow he was to become an initiate in the Organization. He had never really wanted to be initiated, and until three days ago, when his acceptance letter had arrived in the mail, he had always thought that he would get good grades, go to med school, and become a doctor. The future had always been clear. The past, however...

_I don't even know where I came from. I was adopted, but before then...I don't know. I don't know anything...not even who my parents might have been. Blue eyes vanished hundreds of years ago, and the only blue-eyes nowadays are fake. But I have real blue eyes...I guess it'll remain a mystery forever, then._

"Sora! How many times do I have to-"

Sighing, the teen began walking towards the bathroom. "I know, I know! I'm coming!" he yelled.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, he walked downstairs for breakfast. A plate of steaming food already sat on the table, and Sora smiled. _Mom always knows exactly what I want. _

His mom bustled behind the counter, talking half to herself.

"..So much to do today...got to get your meds...register..see the Organization office...meeting."

Sora grinned widely. Unlike his mom, he never worried; he always took things as they came, nice and easy. _Too _nice and easy, many had said of him. _Oh well, at least I never pull my hair out in stress, _Sora thought as he noticed a few strands of hair on the kitchen table beside his mother.

She quickly glanced over at him. "Stop grinning like an idiot and hurry up!" The grin stayed where it was; Sora knew that his mother never really got angry with him.

Within minutes, breakfast was eaten, the plate was cleaned and put away, and Sora and his mother were walking out the door. As the door slid shut behind him, Sora went through everything he knew about the Organization. It wasn't much. He knew that they played some part in the "defense of Earth," although he couldn't think of anything that Earth had to be defended from. He also knew that they were quite secretive. Last but not least, he knew that once you were initiated, you were closely tied to it forever.

_I'm not sure if I like that..._

"Sora, stop daydreaming and get in!" The world slid back into focus as he snapped out of his reverie. Flashing his mother a winning grin, he jumped into the bullet car.

--

"_This _is the Organization headquarters?" Sora looked in incredulity up at his mother with the expression of an excited young child. He had seen it from hundreds of miles away, but he hadn't an idea how positively _massive _it was. This definitely made up for that nasty doctor and the shots that he had endured earlier. The dark spires climbed ever higher into the sky, weaving even between the very clouds themselves. He felt a sudden touch on his arm, and looked over to see his mother.

"Come on, the others are probably inside already."

Sora nodded and began walking with her.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, suddenly hearing what she had said, "Others? What are you talking about?"

His mother sighed...she knew she shouldn't have said that. "Nevermind, let's go!" With that, the pair began running towards the entrance far ahead.

--

The black doors whisked open, bringing a chill blast of air into the already hot and humid morning. Before Sora or his mother had taken more than a few steps inside the enormous lobby, a dark-suited man with black eyescreens strode up and tapped on his mother's shoulder. "Excuse me, Ms...Kazuki, right?"

Nodding quickly, Sora's mother pushed him forwards. An almost feral grin stretched across the man's face. "Ahhh, the young Mr. Kazuki," the man seemed to sigh, "they're waiting in the other room. Once you get in there, we'll begin." Sora felt a tight grip on his shoulder as he was propelled towards another set of doors. He turned around and waved at his mother. "I'll see you soon, okay?" His mother nodded at him and smiled. Then he felt the grip tighten painfully. "Mr. Kazuki, please...they are waiting." Thus, without another word or gesture, Sora was pushed through those whisking, dark doors, into a new life.

--

Sora had barely had time to appreciate the comfort of the contour-conforming chair before a cloaked man stood up and clicked his fingers. Although it didn't make much noise, the gesture instantly quieted the small gathering of teenagers inside the room. He exuded a sort of power that was impossible to describe. Within moments, every eye in the room was attentively on him. The tension was tangible in the air.

A gentle _whumpf _echoed throughout the room, causing the walls to vibrate slightly and the lights to flicker. An annoyed hiss escaped from the cloaked figure at the head of the long table. Sora felt a chill in his bones. This was not a man to be messed with. _The air iced over, the black cloak swirled like dark energy, lightning formed a crackling and terrible halo over..._

_Sora, snap out of it! _And just like that, the room slid back into focus, and "Dark" as Sora had dubbed him was whispering in another cloaked man's ear. Something that sounded vaguely like "Go shut Axel up" reached Sora's ears. Dark dismissed the man with a wave of his hand and turned his full attention back to the seated teenagers.

"My apologies," he said in a cold voice, "Let us continue."

Sora watched as the blonde next to him shivered.

"I suppose none of you know why you are here."

_To join the Organization, right?_

"You are here to join one of the most prestigious academies found on Earth or her sister colonies."

Sora noticed that after Dark said "Earth" he made a sort of strange gesture with his hands.

_Wait, academy??_

"You will all engage in scientific and literary activities to see where your passions and interests lie." The cloaked figure paused, before looking at the teenagers. "You all seem to be shivering. Are you cold?" Without waiting for an answer, he snapped his pale fingers. A bright flame sprang into being around his fingers for a split second before vanishing. The room became appreciably warmer.

Sora blinked. _Did he just...?_

He turned to the blonde next to him, only to find the boy looking at him with the same shocked expression. An invisible communication flashed between them; something along the lines of "Let's talk about this later."

Dark's cold voice sliced through the air again, demanding their instant and total attention once more.

"That is all. You may all retire to your dormitories for the remainder of the day. I like to keep things short and...sweet. I am sure you will all get to know eachother very well, and hopefully make some very good friends." It sounded more like a command than a statement.

Whirling around, the cloaked man stalked out of the room, leaving the new pupils alone.


	3. Nothing's Wrong

A/N: I'm proud of myself, this is the longest chapter yet. As I write this note, I am beginning to write the next chapter of CDSN(my other story) and the next chapter of this! Enjoy!

"I guess we can all agree that this isn't what we expected." Everyone nodded. All the teenagers were seated around a table in the "rec room." It sounded like something out of a bad story about camp, but Sora had to say that it was the most technologically advanced room he had ever been in. It had a holographic remote conference system, triple-locked doors, soundproofed walls, several VR headband stacks, and even a primitive cooler, apparently called a refrigerator.

The silver-haired teen next to Sora spoke up. "I thought I was going to join the Organization, speaking of which, what _is _the Organization? We don't really know what they do, do we? Nobody does." Assent traveled around the conference table like lightning.

"I say we find out," Sora began, "And, shouldn't we introduce ourselves? I'm Sora." The silver-haired boy leaned back, his aquamarine eyes sparkling slightly. "Riku." The redheaded girl across from Sora steepled her fingers. "I'm Kairi." Three expectant pairs of eyes shot over to the blonde, who was sitting quietly at one end of the matte-black table, seemingly engrossed in it's surface.

"Roxas," came a very quiet voice.

Riku smiled, shooting a mischievous look at Sora as if to say '_Not very talkative, is he?' _The brunet felt his heart skip a beat, felt a rush of heat to his face.

_Why am I blushing?_

The teenager's vision snapped back into focus, showing him twin pools of pure aquamarine staring at him in concern. "Sora, you okay? You sort of spaced it for a second there." Forcing a smile, yet still feeling confusion deep within him, the brunet nodded. "Yeah, just thinking." Riku smiled understandingly, "Yeah, our whole worlds have sort of been turned upside down. I mean, being pushed into an academy we've never heard of before and all that."

Almost immediately, Sora felt a sort of bond; an instant liking to the silver-haired male. He seemed so understanding, sensitive, and tuned to everyone else's problems. Once again, Riku flashed him a blinding grin as if to confirm their friendship.

Already emerging as a natural leader, Riku turned back to the table. "We should get some rest, apparently we're getting a grand tour in a few hours, and judging by the size of this place, that may take a while," pausing, he clicked his fingers and a few couches slid out of the slick black walls. "Neat trick, huh?" Sora stared at him with wide blue eyes, shock plainly on his face. Riku laughed, "Relax, I'm not all-powerful. I read the manual while you guys were being shy. Sound-sensitive room or something. Now, lets get some rest."

Laughing nervously, the teens lay down and quickly slipped into sleep, escaping from the strange events of the past hours.

--

Rough hands pulled him out of his dreams. Two pools of glowing emerald light shone above him, pulling him into the conscious world with a vengeance. Pale hands shook his shoulders. Pure blue eyes shot open, taking in the world and the teen shaking him.

"Sora! We have to go now! The others have already gone on the tour, and I'm supposed to wake you." Limbs not quite yet awake, the brunet felt himself propelled out of the black-walled room and down a long hallway, around a corner, and-

"There you are! We've been waiting." Yet another cloaked figure stood in front of the group of teenagers. Gesturing down another hallway, the figure spoke.

"Down this way, if you wouldn't mind..." Without another word or even a look to see if the youths were following, the man strode down the hallway. With a look between them, the new students followed. They were led into a room with massive windows and a breathtaking view of the endless city of New York.

"Before I take you to the top of the tower, where the main section of the academy and your dormitories lie, I wanted to show you this view." The cloaked figure said this all in a rather toneless, bored voice, as if they were simply ticking off things that they had done. He seemed completely oblivious to the amazement that the teens all displayed, Sora thought, looking out on the endless metallic expanse. After only a few moments, the cloaked figure ushered them out of the room and into an adjacent room.

"Now we will progress to your dormitories and you may rest for the remainder of the day. Feel free to talk as the lift may take some time." Sora narrowed his eyes. "How long exactly will this elevator trip take?" "Bored," as Sora had dubbed this new arrival, did not even spare them with a glance before answering. "Twenty one minutes and sixteen seconds, the last time I counted." A pair of doors _whooshed _open ahead of the group, and they walked through.

As the doors shut behind Sora, causing a breeze on his skin, he noticed a square protrusion from under Bored's cloak, about where his face was. His nose? A mask?

Bored clicked his fingers. "I figured since the lift ride is so long, you kids might want to sleep." With that, he pushed Sora into the elevator wall. Sora's eyes widened in shock as he felt his chin lifted up by a gloved hand. Completely immobilized, he stood shaking as the cloaked head bent down, slowly coming towards his face. A second black-gloved hand came up and removed the shroud over the man's head, revealing a flawless, pale face with deep violet eyes. Sora felt the grip on his chin tighten, felt his eyes compelled, _called _to gaze into those amethyst pools. Although the eyes at first seemed light, mischievous, Sora slowly noticed an inner darkness, a knowledge of dark deeds and secrecy, a taint that hid deep within.

Unable to bear it any longer, the brunet felt his body and mind shut down bit by bit. Dark shrouds slid over the world as it slipped out of focus, until all that remained were those deep pools of tainted light. Suddenly, the black leather slipped away from his skin, and he felt himself fall to the floor bonelessly. Feeling no pain, the teen lay there a moment before being called into dark purple nightmares.

_I wonder if Riku's okay._

--

_Initializing consciousness..._

_Failed._

_Beginning systematic reboot..._

_Restoring central nervous system...done_

_Restoring fine motor function...done_

_Restoring olfactory systems...done_

_Restoring biological audio systems...done_

_Restoring visual/balance systems...done_

_Force starting consciousness...done_

_Initiating contact to peripheral systems...done_

_Dispensing anti-shock medication...done_

_--_

Brilliant blue eyes slowly slid open, taking in the world sluggishly. The shy brunet boy behind those eyes was in no hurry. He had just come back from a full tour of the academy, relaxed in his bed, and had a good night's sleep. Everything was okay. _Wait. Something seems wrong._

_+Possible memory trigger detected...dispensing anti-shock medication...done+_

_Nevermind, I'm just being worrisome as usual. _In the back of his brain, Sora felt that something was _truly _wrong, but his conscious, rational mind quickly shoved it aside.

_I wonder what's for breakfast._

--

"Can anyone tell me what type of government we live under? Sora?" The brown-haired teenage boy raised his head from where it had been resting. Despite his relaxed posture he had been paying attention to the past five minutes of the class raptly, and he did not remember anything about the type of government everybody lived under.

"Uh...I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know." The man, "Mr. Xaldin," smiled at him.

"Are you sure, Sora?"

_+Retrieving information...inserting information...synthesizing memories...done+  
_Suddenly Sora remembered Mr. Xaldin muttering "planetary federation" to himself at the beginning of class.

"No, sir. Earth and it's sister colonies are ruled by a planetary federation, or a collection of semi-independent states under a single banner, which rule themselves locally but turn to a central government during times of crisis. This central government also provides for the defense and nourishment of aforementioned states. In return, these states provide taxes, manpower, and industrial capacity for the central government." Mr. Xaldin smiled very widely, showing off a set of perfectly white teeth. Sora noticed that Riku had been staring at him with his jaw slack and eyes wide open.

"Excellent, Sora," he said as if he knew something that Sora did not, "I knew you could remember. Very detailed explanation. Can anyone tell me how many planetary federations have existed in the past, and their respective names? Riku?"

Riku, who had been cool and collected for as long as Sora had known him, which was admittedly only a few hours, opened his mouth before quickly shutting it again with a confused look on his face. Then the moment passed and the boy's aquamarine eyes lit up.

"Of course, sir. There have been three planetary federations in Earth's past. First off was the short-lived American Confederacy, which despite it's name was a federation. However, capitalist ideals clashed with former third-world countries and the Confederacy fell. Out of the ashes rose the Society for Change, which also had an eccentric name yet the same government type as the previous. The Society was an idealistic movement to push Earth towards a utopian, technologically advanced future. However, the people did not share the rulers' vision of perfection, and the Society collapsed amid tides of war. After over fifty years of raging conflict, the Solar Defence Coalition, headed by the Organization, furfilled a role that the Society could not; providing military force while also encouraging peace. Ever since that time, roughly three hundred years ago, Earth has been relatively bereft of war or conflict. Every human being on Earth now has sufficient food, water, and shelter to survive comfortably, and humanity has spread to the far reaches of the solar system."

Now it was Sora's turn to stare at Riku. Mr. Xaldin had _definitely _not mentioned that at the beginning of class. Where had the green-eyed, silver-haired god learned all that? _And why did he look so confused right before he said it if he knew it all? I think something's fishy. _

_+Admistering anti-shock medication...done+_

The rational side of the cerulean-eyed boy quickly pushed that down. Riku had probably just spent a lot of time studying before he came to the academy. _I should have done that too. I'll probably look like an idiot now. Still...I can't help but feel that something might be wrong. _

_+Inconclusive feelings, no medication needed+_

_I mean, Riku sounded like a dictionary.._

_+Incorrect information...correcting...done+_

_I mean an encyclopedia, or course, _Sora thought to himself, _I can be stupid sometimes. Nothing's wrong._


	4. Target Practice?

"Riku, did you get the feeling that, just maybe, something is-"

"Seriously wrong here? Yeah, I did." Sora smiled grimly.

"I can't put my finger on it though. There in class, you suddenly knew all that stuff. Stuff that-oh, I don't know. This is just so weird. I have feelings that things are happening outside our control and that the cloaked people are more dangerous than we real-" Sora stopped, cut off by a soft pair of fingers pressed to his lips.

"Shh. I know."

_Do you really, Riku?_

--

Black gloved fingers steepled over the matte-black desk. The single candle in the room cast a yellow tint to the leather surface of the gloves, causing them to glow as if an evil spirit resided within. He gestured to a speaker, hidden in the corner of the darkened room.

"Begin."

Instantly, a mechanic-sounding click resounded through the chamber, shortly followed by a whirring noise. Coalescing out of the darkness, four bright figures came into being over the vast expanse of the desk. Three of the figures nodded towards the fourth.

"My lord, I think that the children may be onto something. They are much quicker than the last group."

The cloaked man gazed forwards, the air pregnant with disbelief but the hood unable to display his emotion.

"How is that possible? It's only been two days. They can't know."

A sibilant voice echoed out of the second figure, which was tinted a bright silver.

"I must beg to differ, my lord. They _are _indeed much more intelligent than any of the other groups. They will find out soon, possibly within days. I have had to administer anti-shock medication at least three times in the last four hours."

The room lit up as the red-colored projection flashed in amusement.

"Three times? I've almost _run out _of medication." The blazing-red figure bowed. "Forgive me, my lord. I spoke out of turn." A dark black hand waved dismissively.

"What of Sora?"

The third holographic projection nodded slightly. "He suspects much yet knows nothing. He is remarkably self-deprecating, this one, so quick to dismiss his own intuition. Although he is helped along by my medication. Sora however, has exhibited some uncertain feelings towards another classmate, something that I'm not equipped to identify. I will continue examination and file my report as soon as identification is complete. With your leave, sir?" A quick nod answered the question, and the motes of light forming the projection dissipated, leaving only three.

Inside the cloak, violent green eyes closed in pensive thought.

"I suggest that we advance the plan to Phase Two. Lady," he nodded at the red figure, "Gentlemen, I think a game of target practice is in order for our young pupils," black-coated fingers clicked together, "Engage targeting systems. You may take your leave."

With a blinding flash of light, the visitors vanished and left the chamber in relative darkness.

--

Bored strode to the head of the classroom, waving dismissively at the mathematics teacher. His boots clicked loudly on the tile floor, causing reverberations around the room.

"My studious pupils," he began with a hidden grin, "Seeing as you have been working so hard on your classes, the staff and I decided that it might be a good idea for an icebreaker." He paused, as if waiting for groans. When none came, he continued.

"We thought that it might be beneficial for you all to learn to shoot, and simultaneously compete for a prize. The competition might spur you to get to know one another better." _Wait, target practice?? Icebreaker? _Thoughts tumbled through Sora's head as he tried to follow the logic behind Bored's words. _This is certainly a strange place. _

"Now, boys and girl, if you wouldn't mind following me?"

--

From the gleaming muzzle to the polymer handgrip, the weapon was pure beauty. Sora gazed at it with wide eyes, exhibiting a common fascination of weapons seen in all boys between the ages of 12 and 16. _Wow...it's beautiful. _Bored noted the amazement of the brunet before him with a certain amusement.

"Sora, you first!" With that, the grey pistol flew through the air, landing gracefully in the teen's outstreched hands. As his fingers closed around it, he felt a sort of deja-vu, as if he was intimately familiar with the weapon. Weighing it, he turned and sighted down to the target, one hundred meters away. He could barely see the small black "bulls-eye."

_+Identifying target...achieving lock...locked on...+_

Waiting a moment, he squeezed the trigger twice. The air quivered slightly as a high-pitched whine cycled up beyond human hearing. Sora could imagine the super-conducting rails of the pistol charging up, unloading it's deadly cargo. A ear-shattering roar blasted through the teen's ears as a small chunk of depleted uranium accelerated to over five kilometers per second, causing the air around it to burst in flame as it ripped through it. And then it was over. Four pairs of amazed eyes and one pair of amused ones gazed down the range to the target. Four pairs widened in shock as they saw the black center smoking. One pair of violet eyes tightened in amusement at the apparent wonder of the teens.

Bored tapped on Sora's shoulder.

"Again."

_+Acquiring target...achieving lock...locked on...+_

Sora swung the pistol up and pulled twice. Once again a blast of sound echoed around the range, and the target quivered as another supersonic chunk of metal smashed into it.

"Again."

The brunet, gaining confidence now, fired. Dead on.

"Again."

Perfect.

A hidden smile stretched across the cloaked man's face.

"Miss."

Sora recoiled. "What?"

"Go ahead, try it. I dare you." The teen stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge if he was serious. Getting no reaction, the blue-eyed boy turned and shrugged, raising the pistol but not aiming at all.

_+Acquiring target...achieving lock..locked on.+_

Fusing with the air, the bolt of metal shot down the range and impacted the target dead-center.

Sora felt lips on his ear, a gust of gentle air pushing on the side of his face, heard a seductive voice quietly purr. "You can't do it, can you? No matter what you try, you won't miss." A shiver went down the teen's spine. _Oh no you don't._

Whirling around, Sora raised the handgun, leveling the muzzle right between the eyes of the dark-clad man in front of him. "Stop it!"

Lowering the veil over his face, Bored smiled, his violet eyes gazing deep into baby-blue. Then he reached out, stroking Sora's cheek softly, causing the hair on the back of the confused boy's neck to stand up. "Punish me, please," he seemed to beg, his deep purple eyes pleading with Sora, "kill me."

Sora felt a burning anger blaze through him. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled the trigger. "Die, pervert!" the hiss that came out of the enraged boy's mouth was barely audible.

_+Disabling fine motor control...done+_

_+Disabling anger/pain brain centers...done+_

_+Shutting down nervous centers...done+_

Suddenly, Sora felt his own finger come to a stop, felt his anger melt away. He couldn't move, he was frozen to the spot, not even feeling the gun drop from his nerveless fingers. Once again, he felt lips brush his ear, but this time, only just. "Never figured you were the murderous type, dear So-ra," that oh-so-seductive voice came, "Try that again sometime."

_+Reactivating nervous centers..done+_

_+Reactivating all brain functions...done+_

_+Reactivating fine motor control...done+_

Just as the very confused teen felt his nerves come alive once again, _felt _his fingers instead of just seeing them held out in front of him, Bored bent down and placed the grey handgun into his hands.

"We have a winner. Sora, congratulations!" The others were in such a state of shock, plainly expressed on their faces, that they did not even protest that no others had gotten a try.

Bored tapped the handgun in Sora's hands. "Enjoy the prize. I think you two will get to know each other _very _well."


	5. A Red Haired Someone

A/N: Don't get impatient, readers! "It's" coming...

Sora hefted the weapon in his small dormitory that he shared with one other silver-haired student. There were so many questions and so few answers.

_Why did he give this to me? Does he _want _me to shoot him or something? Why couldn't I pull the trigger; almost like some sort of mental block? And most importantly, why am I feeling like I'm missing something incredibly important?_

The brunet mulled over these questions a bit before deciding that he would find no answers here. Laying back on his surprisingly comfortable bed, he sunk deep into the mattress as if it were some pleasant, fluffy cloud. It had a curious, earthy smell to it as well. Sora took a deep whiff, burying his head in the pillow. _It smells really good, almost exactly like-  
_"Having fun taking up my bed, Sora?" came an amused voice which seemed to reverberate throughout the room. Sora jumped and almost pulled the trigger of the handgun he held, before blushing a deep candy-apple red.

"Uh...sorry. I guess I lay down in the wrong place." He was rewarded with a small, very amused smile. Perfect white teeth glinted in the softly lit room.

"It's no problem." Getting to his feet, Sora held out the curious weapon.

"Why did he give this to me?" Sora asked, very confused, "Is that a _normal _thing to do in an academy for the gifted?" Riku raised an exquisite silver eyebrow before taking it and examining it.

"I don't know. But there's definitely something strange about this place. I just can't quite put my finger on it." A wave of pure relief swept through the blue-eyed teen; he wasn't alone in his thoughts. That was always a good feeling.

"All students, please report to classroom 13 for instruction at 5:00."

Sora looked at his watch before sighing heavily and looked over at his confidant and relatively new friend. _4:56_

"Class calls."

"So it does."

--

At precisely five o'clock in the afternoon, the door to classroom 13 clicked and swung open, revealing a startling sight to the only four students of the academy. Saying that the room was large did not nearly do it justice. The room was _massive, _and full of humming equipment and simple black work-surfaces. A rack of fusion burners sparked at the back of the room, every so often releasing a pure-blue column of flame. Complex-looking instruments covered the work-surfaces, humming and whirring and clicking, making music with their rhythm. Inside a small box, laser beams flickered neon colors of the rainbow. Despite these wondrous devices, however, Sora felt his attention pulled to the only other occupant of the room.

He was sitting on a table, garbed in a cloak of purest midnight black, which seemed to pull in the light from the rest of the room like a magnet. Above that, a noble face with brilliant green eyes that glittered. And above that, a blazing red mane of hair, seeming to jump and crackle like flame incarnate.

"Ah, hello, students. My name is Initiate Axel." the man said smoothly to his slack-jawed audience of teens.

Riku, despite his surprise at the fascinating devices all around them, managed to raise his eyebrow in what Sora was quickly learning was his customary way.

"Initiate? I thought you were a teacher."

A flash of worry appeared on "Initiate" Axel's face before it was quickly replaced by a wide grin.

"Oh, yes, I meant Instructor. My thoughts were wandering. My apologies." The red haired teacher slid off of the table smoothly, appraising them coolly.

"I suppose you're all wondering what you're all doing in what looks to be an advanced research lab. In fact, your eyes are not deceiving you, and yes, you are in fact supposed to be here. As to what you are going to be doing here..." Axel trailed off.

"Yes?" a voice rang out, and three heads turned in surprise at the source, surprise plain on their faces. Roxas almost never _spoke, _let alone asked questions of someone he had just met. Yet here he was, a slight red flush present on his cheeks, bright blue eyes shining. Once again, the almost feral grin that seemed so appropriate on the teacher's face emerged.

"You, my naive little students," he began, noticing their expressions with glee, "will be discovering your passions." Seeing the puzzled look on Sora's face, he continued.

"You will be finding out which fields of study you enjoy, which types of work you love, and what," he tapped his head, "gets those cogs to start turning. Is that clear?" It wasn't, so Axel clapped his hands.

"What that means is that you wander around this big room and mess with things until you find something you like. Is _that _simple enough for you?" Sora nodded his head before gazing around the room. A shimmering sheet of fabric caught his eye. _Now that looks interesting. _

--

Back in their shared dormitory, Sora and Riku both sat at the table in the center of the room.

"I can't believe Axel let me take this back here!" Sora chattered happily, playing with the shroud of fabric. After picking it up, he quickly figured out that it had some properties that went beyond the ordinary. It seemed to absorb light, pulling it in like a gaping maw of darkness, and seemed to blend in with it's surroundings in a subtle sort of way.

"Yeah, it's great, isn't it?"

The brunet glanced up at his relatively new found silver-haired friend. Riku was also enthralled with a small device that Axel had given him back in the lab. _Why do I have the feeling we're being watched all the time?_

Shrugging, Sora turned back to his study of the strange item in his hands.

--

A pair of gloved black hands roved over a shadowy desk in a darkened room.

"They all seem to have found their interests."

The blue hologram nodded. At least none of them were as dangerous as Axel's interests.

"We'll have to make our move relatively soon."

An imperceptible nod.

"Maybe tomorrow. You can stop dispensing medication tonight. Let them roam free a bit. What is Sora doing?"

A screen flickered to life in a dark corner of the room, throwing the chamber into sharp relief. Sora could be seen kneading a piece of cloth between his fingers, a vacant expression on his face. Just across the table, a green-eyed youth was pushing buttons on a small device.

"Excellent. We have captured their interest. Initiate them tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? I don't think the surgery will have worn off by tomorr-"

"Just do it, please."

"Yes, my lord."


	6. Initiated

A/N: Sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long. Lets go! This is the longest chapter I think I've _ever _written. I hope you're all proud of me and this clears up some questions. 2100 words FTW

They came in the night, black cloaks swishing through the hallways and into dormitories. They gathered up the sleeping students with little trouble, propelling them through catacomb-like hallways and chambers before their captives had even completely woken. When they did, the nightmare had just begun. Heavy breathing shook the air around them and jet-black material surrounded them. The air had an evil taste to it; as if ancient rites were being invoked.

At long last, Sora saw a light at the end of the hallway that they were being pushed through. As it neared, he discovered that it was a lit room. Welcoming a respite from the consuming darkness around him, he gladly let himself be pushed across the threshold. A sudden force from behind, and he found himself standing in the middle of the chamber, with Riku on his left, Roxas on his right, and Kairi standing beyond the blonde. They were all wearing looks of complete confusion and bewilderment. Glancing behind him, Sora noticed a wall of cloaked figures, staring impassively at him.

Shivering, he turned around and faced the shimmering door in front of him. Something was about to happen, he was sure of it. The door slowly slid open, revealing yet another midnight-clad figure. _What a surprise. _

This one felt familiar-incited memories cascading through the brunet's head. He recognized something about the way this man walked, his manner, how he held himself. He could almost taste it. Yet this piece of information stayed tantalizingly, maddeningly out of reach. The figure regarded them almost with a distanced air, as if he had no interest in them. Then he waved a sleek black-gloved hand.

Immediately, a black-robed figure stepped forwards. In the back of his mind, Sora felt a tiny, cynical part of him find the willpower to make a remark. _They're really keen on black, huh?_

"Yes, my lord?"

_My lord? Who are these people?_

"Initiate them."

A brief nod. Turning, the man made his way over to Riku. Everyone in the room could almost taste the tension in the air. _What is he going to do? _Expecting a bloody murder or torture, Sora could not predict what would happen next.

A black gloved hand took one of pure alabaster, and began to rove over it's surface. In a distant part of his mind, the blue-eyed boy noticed that chanting could be heard from the rank of figures behind him. Yet he pushed this aside, for he felt a stab of...jealousy? _Nuh-uh. _

The hooded man removed his hands from Riku, and the green-eyed teen seemed to go into a trance. Without hesitating, the cloaked figure walked over to Sora, raised the veil over his face and looked him deeply in the eyes. As the black veil was pulled up ever-so-slightly, the blue-eyed teen glimpsed a pair of emeralds twinkling slightly in amusement, yet had an undertone of deep solemnity.

He had no control; he felt his knees weaken as those green jewels bored into him. A quick flicker of recognition appeared on the teen's face, but it was quickly replaced by a sort of complacency.

The soothing motion on his hands awakened a part of his mind that he didn't know existed, and he felt himself helpless as a dialogue ensued between this strange character and..._something _inside of him. He felt only the barest hints of what was being exchanged, but it chilled him.

_It is time to awaken._

_+I know. I'm turning on everything now...+_

_Hurry, we have others to attend to._

_+I know.+_

_A blue light blinding my inner eyes. I can feel it taking over me, and it feels so strange...but I know it somehow. It feels so familiar and right. Like I have the world at my fingertips. _

The dark room slowly faded from his vision like a dark nightmare at the coming of day, and he felt the gloved, slippery hands leave his own. Sora didn't know how long he remained in this meditative state, only that it felt oddly refreshing and wonderful. Rough hands shook him awake, and though he steadfastly tried to keep his eyes closed and senses numb, he was pulled back to reality. His eyes snapped open, and he felt...different. Almost like he could feel parts of the world that weren't visible to the eye, like there was an ocean of energy around him that no one else could see.

Around him, Riku, Roxas, and Kairi were waking from the same trance-like state. In front of them stood the one who had caused all of this. And he bowed rather impishly, rose and removed his hood.

"_**Axel??" **_Four voices rang out in shock and confusion.

"The one and only." The 'Initiate' smiled easily and shook his long red mane. A sigh could be heard throughout the room.

"Axel, there's no need to be so dramatic."

"Sorry." But he certainly didn't look it, the perfect white-toothed grin remained on his face, as if the four students were sources of great amusement. "Hey, at least they weren't as confused as I was. I thought you guys were a bunch of cultists or something. Not that you still don't creep me out." Another sigh.

"Get to the point, Axel."

"Right-o." He turned to the four teens. "I'm sure that you're all wondering why the hell you're here instead of sleeping in your nice, warm beds, no?" He stared at Roxas with a sort of wistful look on his face.

"The simple answer is tha-screw it, there is no simple answer. Lets start out with the fact that this is no academy for the gifted. From this point forth, no learning will be taking place in these hallowed halls," a chuckle, "At least not of the traditional kind."

"What you will be doing will be of vital importance to the human race," a dark voice smoothly cut in, "You see, there is much that the public does not know, and cannot know, about the dangers that face us. Ironically, we created these dangers in the first place, but more on that later. We've made some...modifications to your bodies, so maybe we should go through that first."

Sora found himself fighting disbelief. Was this some sort of prank? An initiation rite designed to trick new students? This man was talking as if Sora and his friends were some sort of experiment in a lab. Sora summoned his courage and spoke.

"What if we don't want to cooperate?" The man waved aside the question like it wasn't even plausible.

"Perhaps you have been noticing some...anomalies recently. Some faint pain in your fingers, or your head, or perhaps you knew things you never knew. Or," he said almost maliciously, "Perhaps your reflexes were a little_ too_ good for comfort." He paused, looking at Sora. "I have an explanation. Do you want it?" Four sharp intakes of breath could be heard around the room the man described perfectly the symptoms of the teens.

They could all feel the smile even if they couldn't see it.

"I'll take that as a yes, then. Where to begin, where to beg-"

The red-haired acolyte smiled impishly. "I find it's best to begin at the beginning, if you catch my drift."

"Shut up." came the response without missing a beat. "I should probably explain why you've all been experiencing these strange things. In essence, when you went to sleep at night, we drugged you and inserted subcutaneous implants. These same implants, one of which is located in your cranium, carefully monitor your mind and body, and if any of you realize anything before we want you to..." _Click! _He snapped his fingers.

"We make you instantly second-guess yourself via direct injections into your brain tissue until you drop it. Quite fascinating, isn't it?" It was patently obvious that to this man, they were no more than experiments; assets.

"In any case, the implants aren't yet completely active, although when Axel here touched you, he initiated the cycle. Believe it or not, he wasn't being a total pervert. About ten seconds left, by my reckoning, until completion, by the way."

Axel nodded. "I advise you clench your teeth. And your fists. I almost bit my tongue off when I was initiated. Not a pretty sight, I can tell you."

The four teens stiffened, the rage at being tricked and used vanishing, replaced by an instant sense of dread. What exactly _was_ going to happen?

Riku opened his mouth first. "Axel, what exactly did you mea-"

But then he stopped suddenly. Sora didn't know if Riku had stopped talking or he had stopped hearing, the pain was overwhelming. His knees collapsed. His heart sped up wildly, pushing blood roughly through his veins. A fire spread across his entire body, starting from his fingers and head, shoving it's way up his arms and through his spine.

He didn't even feel himself fall hard on the metal floor; the pain was so dominating. It pushed the conscious part of him to the very back of his mind, replacing him with the visceral soul of an animal in tortuous pain. In some corner of his head, he was dimly aware of Riku and Roxas writhing on the floor next to him, but he couldn't summon the energy even to care. The pain ruled him now. The pain was his master.

As his consciousness spiraled away, he heard a low voice, as if from a great distance, speak. "Well, aren't they dramatic?" And then, just as abruptly, his fall into the welcoming, numbing darkness halted, and reversed. _Damn. You're kidding me, right? I'm not actually going to regain all my senses in the middle of this pain, right? Why can't I just fall into the darkness like in all the movies, and wake up in a med bay? Oww! Owww! _

Coherent thought stopped entirely as the pain re-entered his neural pathways, creaming through his nervous system again.

"Three."

"Axel, what the hell are you doing?"

"Shut up. Two."

"Axel?"

"One..."

Suddenly the burning fire had gone, replaced by a sense of total peace. A pale face with emerald eyes loomed in the brunet's still blurry vision.

"Congratulations, you just survived 37.3 seconds of the worst pain you will ever endure in your life. Even being hit by a maser doesn't hurt worse, and trust me, that hurts like _hell. _So, how does it feel?"

A grumble resounded through the room, seeming to come from all of the cloaked figures.

"Axel, just...shut up, _please._" The redhead winked conspiratorially at Sora. It was a thoroughly unsettling feeling.

"All right, all right. Anyway, you're one of us now. _Initiate _Kazuki." A black-gloved hand pulled him to his feet. "By my estimate, you're only hours away from wearing these stylish black robes!" Grumbling.

"Anyway, I didn't finish explaining. Basically, you now have an implant in your head. It holds an artificial intelligence, which I've nicknamed Aros, because that's Sora backwards. Yes, you can talk to it, no, I _don't _advise you do it now; your mind is tired and needs rest. All a bit much to take in?"

Sora nodded weakly.

"Tomorrow we'll start on showing you around and doing cool stuff," Axel said unspecifically. "For now I recommend you rest. Would you like Riku to carry you to your room?" Axel smiled evilly, "Or should I do it?"

A bright red blush colored Sora's cheeks, yet he remained speechless. He was too busy taking in everything that had happened. Besides, he still felt that there was a new world which he could now sense. Frankly, though, he was too tired to try anything, so he shrugged weakly.

"-ku." He tried to say Riku's name, to check if he was all right, but his tired lips couldn't form the words.

"I'm hurt, Sora. Really am. Unfortunately, Riku can no more carry you to your room than you can." With that, he gently picked the blue-eyed initiate up and turned towards the door with a tender expression on his face. He nodded and three other cloaked initiates picked up the other teens.

Sora looked up at the red-haired man through his blurry sight. Then, a gloved hand swept across his forehead.

"Sleep, sleep. We have much to do tomorrow, to explore your new powers."

And Sora, not stopping to ponder the sentence, immediately did as he was told.


	7. The Good Doctor

A/N: Please don't get too confused, the answers are coming and some are already here. Please review! Many thanks to my amazing, _punctual, _and in general awesome beta xkidrogue.

"All things considered, it's going quite well. Almost perfectly average; not unlike any previous initiate."

Dark purple eyes considered the wall. "Tevyn, what if he is another Shroud? God knows we're still getting over that disaster."

"Which one are you thinking about?"

"Any of them. It doesn't even have to be one of the three males. That girl, Kairi, could become the same."

The white-garbed man steepled his fingers. "Well, I've taken the oath of the White Order, so on the record I can only speak of things of medical origins. I've monitored all life signs and they appear to be nominal. However, if you believe the prophecy, then one of them _must _be Shroud reincarnated. Of course, that's assuming folk magic exists."

A sigh. "You know that I don't believe in that. But if there's even the slightest chance, I want them under surveillance. There's also the issue of Axel and AI bonding."

A frown creased the doctor's face.

"Yes, Axel. I thought he might come up. And as for the AI bonding, you know that although it's theoretically possible, it's never happened. Artificial Intelligences simply don't take the initiative to bond with their owners."

'Dark' leaned forwards. "Axel is too nice for his own good. Or the good of others, for that matter. He simply cares too much, he might tell them something secret and vital. As for the bonding, you're probably right. But keep a watch on the programming mutations just to be sure. I'll have to tell them about the Organization and the various Orders today, won't I?"

_Beep beep beep!_

Tevyn sighed and pulled a small cylindrical device out of his pocket. After examining it for a moment, he placed it back within his lab coat and looked up.

"I apologize, my lord, but there is something in the laboratory that I must attend to. I will continue to monitor the health of the new Initiates, never fear." With that, Tevyn whirled on his heel and stalked out the door.

"You have my leave." A bit late, but who really cared? The room was once again full of black as a pensive mood filled the air.

_Another Shroud. God forbid. And then when you add System to the mix, it just gets worse. I can't let this new Shroud reach full maturity; whoever it is, I must find them and eliminate them quickly._

_--_

_  
_Sora's eyes slowly slid open, welcoming the new day. Or afternoon, rather. It was already quite late, he felt a bit woozy, and...

"Sorry, I've run out of creepy things to say." _Axel's in my room. Wonderful._

"Um...that's okay, I guess?" A chuckle.

"Try to talk to him. Enjoy it while you can; they get boring, annoying, and after a short while, you'll find they have an incredibly bad case of OCD. It rubs off on you, actually." Axel noticed the brunet looking at him with a vacant expression on his face, his eyes showing a total lack of knowledge.

"Well, since you absolutely insist on being dense, I meant Aros." The redhead was sprawled haphazardly on a large contour-conforming chair on the other side of the room. _Oh. Him. Right._

"How do I talk to him?" Axel's face contorted in a sort of pitying grin.

"You know, Sora, if you have an implant in your head, basically sitting on your brain, modifying and reading your thoughts, how the hell do you _think _you talk to him?" he paused, slightly out of breath, "I mean, it's incredibly cute that you're so stupid and all," Sora looked injured, "But it's also very inconvenient to explain extremely trivial things to you."

_Can you hear me?_

In response came a very masculine, powerful sounding voice. It exuded confidence and power; Sora could almost smell it. And he could _definitely _feel it reverberating through his head. In fact, it felt almost exactly like Riku.

_Of course I can, you idiot._

And it talked almost exactly like Axel. Wonderful.

_You didn't have to be so mean._

Sora felt a sort of strange feeling, impossible to describe, but _almost _as if something was sifting through his mind.

_Goodness, you aren't as dense as everyone thinks you are. _The voice groaned, and a small groan escaped Sora's mouth reflexively as well. Axel arched a fire-red eyebrow, but he was ignored. _If possible, you're even _denser.

The sifting feeling didn't stop.

_What are you doing?_

_I'm searching and auditing your memories, so I can know what person you are. If it helps, I can't actually detect past emotions if I wasn't installed at the time. Only basic memories. However, I'm detecting some sort of emotion every time you think of _A flashed image of Riku appeared in his mind. _I'm not equipped to identify emotions very well, so I will have to analyze it more closely later. Hmmm..._

A flush colored the brunet's perfect pale cheeks, and Axel, who was watching closely from across the room, gave a blinding grin of pearly white teeth. "What, is he telling you something you didn't want to know? Trust me, happens all the time. Whenever my AI, Lexy, gets annoying, I just make a mess in the room I'm sitting in. They have a kind of OCD, so they go crazy if there's a mess or something out of order around."

_Can you tell me everything?_

_How unspecific._

Sora mentally sighed. This implant of was really starting to bug him.

_What I'm doing here, why I have you in my head, where I am, and what my future is going to be like, and a general explanation of the weird things happening. _ Even though the teen was only thinking, he seemed to be out of breath.

_Hmm. Yes, I can tell you...but I won't. _A brief flare of anger blazed in Sora's eyes. _Relax. Someone is going to tell you, it just won't be me. It's a little...easier if everyone is told at once. _Sora breathed in relaxation. All the secrets were going to be revealed. He looked up, noticing Axel staring at him intently.

"You know, when you go out into the world, you can't start zoning off like that. I know what you're doing, but the vast majority of people don't have the same kind of implant that you do, and it's a bit weird if you suddenly seem to start meditating for..." he checked his watch, "Seven minutes and fifty-five seconds at a time for no reason. Funny, I never pictured you as the calm, peaceful sort, sitting in self-contemplation." Sora snorted in annoyance. Axel was right, but...

_I completely agree. He's one of the more annoying things that has happened to yo—us. _

The door slowly slid open, and 'Dark' and a white-cloaked man walked into the room, closely followed by Riku, Kairi, and Roxas. _Hmmm, white...that's very different from the norm here. _Axel whirled around and stared at the new arrival with something resembling fear. His emerald pools widened in surprise and intimidation. It was obvious he knew him well; or at least well enough to be afraid.

_That's Tevyn, _said a new voice in Sora's head, one that he implicitly recognized. _Axel. Why is it fair of you to invade the sanctuary of my mind now? _The comment was ignored.

_He heads the psychic research department here; the experiments are so twisted, it sickens me. I used to-well, lets just say that he's supposed to heal people, not hurt them. He is a doctor, after all. _Axel never missed the opportunity to make light of a situation. _He must be truly afraid. _Sora looked up at Tevyn, recoiling almost instantly. There, on the man's perfect alabaster face, were two radiant _orange _eyes, staring back at him intently. Everything about those pools exuded intelligence and ruthlessness. This was not a man Sora wanted to cross.

_Good idea, that, _said Aros cynically.

Suddenly, Dark spoke up. "We're here today to explain everything about the current situation. If you have any questions, please ask them, but I will start on clarifying what you are all doing here. At the most simple level, this is a military academy." Sharp intakes of breath across the room. Wide cerulean eyes stared at the dark-robed master.

"Before any cliché thoughts start to cross your mind, let me relieve you of them. You will find no strict sergeants, restrictive rules, curfews here. There will be precious little training of hand-to-hand combat. You will learn no martial arts, lift weights, or run laps. What you _will _be doing is increasing your knowledge, discovering your passions, participating in research, and applying your interests to actually create something." Sora noticed that he hadn't been breathing for the past minute and a half, but for some reason, he didn't feel like he needed air.

"However, you will receive a generous 'allowance' to spend as you wish, the resources of the Organization, your own laboratories, offices, personnel, and weapons, if you need them. You _will _eventually be used in military operations. And having said that, let me make one thing _very _clear." He glared at all of them, as if daring them to argue with him. "There will be absolutely _no _heroism, ever," Now Dark's voice was somehow infused with sorrow and pain, "I have seen countless close friends, acquaintances, and.." he choked, "lovers die while charging or trying to rescue others. Modern weapons are merciless, and no amount of bravery or heroism will save you from a shell moving at half the speed of light. And if you do attempt to become a hero, make sure you don't survive, because I will personally make your lives a living hell if you live and I find out about it. You have cost the Organization fifty nine million credits each to create as of this moment, and I won't have it thrown away on something as cheap as that." Dark suddenly stopped his tirade and refused to say another word.

Though shocked almost out of his mind, Sora understood immediately. _He's been through terrible things. Things he still remembers, things he cannot forget. And despite his exterior, he cares enough about us that he doesn't want us to go through the same. Either that or he doesn't want to lose the millions of credits. _

Meanwhile, Riku was contemplating something completely different. _Dark had a lover? Who would want to be with a creep like that? _Oddly enough, Axel was thinking the same.

Stepping in, Tevyn began to speak.

"I have been monitoring the health of all of you extensively, remotely, and it appears you are all in excellent health. I also had your implants vaccinate you against most of the known sicknesses of the world this morning, so if you felt a slight twinge in your head, that would be it. On top of natural diseases, you are also immune to most man-made viruses and chemicals..." The doctor's eyes were glowing as he spoke, gazing off into the distance, as if he were talking about some perfectly designed machine. Then the orange refocused, staring at each of the teens in turn.

"I will continue to watch your health, although I anticipate no problems. There is, however, one system additional implant in your bodies that I have not yet activated. The 'MEMS' implant, residing both in your cranium and fingers, to be precise..." _What's that? _Sora thought warily. _I hope it doesn't hurt as much as the last one._

"MEMS, short for 'Matter-Energy Manipulation System,' is a method of converting between the two by means of the laws of physics. In essence, it will allow you to use the energy around you and turn it into mass, or vice versa. Think of it as a sort of scientific magic," Tevyn paused, "In the meanwhile, continue with your studies as if nothing had happened." The white-clad man turned around, and put an arm around the shoulders of the still-dazed Dark. Dark was staring through his veiled hood, seemingly lost in memories. A few shudders ran through his body, starting from his chest and causing the silky black material that he was clothed in to tremble. _It almost seems like Dark is crying, _Sora thought, _He didn't seem the type..._

As Tevyn began propelling Dark out through the door, Sora noticed that the black-robed figure seemed so much less imposing and stern than only minutes before. He seemed so vulnerable, like a small, weak animal clinging to it's mother. The teens noticed him leaning onto Tevyn's shoulder as they walked out; a dark angel clinging to a bright, shining one. Somehow, it seemed appropriate. Tevyn's grip tightened, and the pair walked out.

"Six and one-half days from today you will be allowed a family visit. Please keep it short." Lost in a reverie, the four initiates jumped in surprise at Tevyn's carrying voice. Exchanging a look, they departed from the room as well. None of them noticed the small, satisfied smile on Axel's face.


	8. Moving Closer

A/N: Sorry this took me so long, school, 3 university classes, an internship, and all that. Please enjoy. My beta does not have internet access so don't flame my spelling/grammar too much. Also, if it's hard to understand, don't worry, it's kind of intentional. It's my intention that you slowly grasp more as the chapters progress. Also, an authors hint: notice the details, they're important. The cards, at the end are very important. I hope you like it! I also tried to make little moments "out of time" where you only have talk between DeepBlue and Roxas or Lexy and Axel.

Enjoy,

Storm

TIMESKIP of about two weeks in between this chapter and the last.

_--_

_Meet me outside your room at 6 pm. I have something to show you._

_-Axel_

Blue eyes narrowed in thought as Roxas considered the small note left on _paper, _of all things on his doorknob. Why hadn't Axel just sent him a Net-Message? Axel knew that DeepBlue, Roxas's implant, handled and received messages twenty four hours a day, seven days a week...

_Damn right I do. _DeepBlue was everything Roxas was not; assertive, loud, and always voicing his opinion.

"Blue, what time is it?" The sight in his pale blue eyes flickered before a small display appeared on the top right corner of his vision, projected by the implant in his cornea, he thought. **4:57 PM**

"Hmm...that means I have enough time to return to the lab and check things out again." Roxas had recently developed a love for the lab where he had first met Axel, especially the laser-optics section of it. Pacing down the hallways, he reflected on the past two weeks since he had first been initiated. Surprisingly, he thought, they had been rather uneventful; just spending time with his newfound friends and checking out stuff in the lab...he had talked to Axel a bit, but not much.

Snapping out of his reverie, the blonde noticed that he was standing outside his destination, the white-painted door directly in front of him. He reached out to punch in the code for the door and...

**You've got mail.**

_God _damn_ it! _He glared at the large black text flashing across his vision, or at least, tried to, finding it quite hard to glare at something that didn't exist in the physical world. Gritting his teeth in anger, he began to formulate a mental response. Then stopped as a peculiar electrical feeling spread through his mind, feeling like frigid liquid flowing inside of his skull. His arm twitched and smashed into the wall and he grunted in pain.

_Oops, _came a sweet-sounding voice inside of his head, _that was an accident. I'm still getting the hang of this 'living inside of a biological body' deal. _DeepBlue liked to tease, Roxas knew.

_Like hell it was. Computers don't _have_ accidents. Besides, what were you doing anyway? _Pale blue eyes narrowed in annoyance as Roxas _felt _a vindictive smile.

_I was trying to open your mail, excuse me for helping. Downloading complex digital data into a primitive, stupid organic brain like yours is quite difficult. _Now the implant was giving off an affronted air.

_Whatever, _Roxas mentally grumbled, _Just open the thing._

Suddenly, he felt a cold rush of data into his brain cells, fusing forcefully into his memory. Roxas watched his vision blur as the teen's left eye twitched. _I'll never get used to that, _the initiate thought before groaning.

"I was just about to get working in the lab, too..." he thought as he discovered the contents of the message.

_Oh boo hoo. Roxy doesn't get to work on laser optics. _Feeling anger and annoyance rise in him like a burning, consuming fire, Roxas slapped his head before wincing in pain. _Shut up._

Then he turned his attention back to the contents of the message.

_Roxas, please meet me at my lab tomorrow at 11:30 in the morning. I just have a vaccine to administer and I promise I won't keep you long. I'll upload directions to your implant tomorrow morning._

_Thanks,_

_-Tevyn, White Oath Holder_

Quiet dread pervaded the mind of the young teenager, even entering the logical, infallible pathways of Blue. Everyone knew the rumors about the doctor and his "Psychic Research Facility." Who knew what went on in there? No one Roxas knew even knew the whereabouts of the facility, or if they did, they certainly kept quiet about it. Trying to distract himself, Roxas checked the time again. Pale blue eyes dilated as they focused on something inside of his brain, invisible to the rest of the world.

**5:32 PM**

Another deep sigh shuddered through the blonde. _No lab work today, I guess. Now I have to head back to my room again to meet Axel..._

As his feet began to carry him back to his room, almost on autopilot, he caught himself thinking; _What exactly does Axel want? _

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

The repetitive sound echoed through the hallways of the academy, assaulting Roxas' deaf ears as he walked towards his room. Rounding the corner, he noticed the sound and it's origin. A young man with flaming red hair stood outside his door, tapping his black-booted foot on the floor. He wore a long, stylish black coat, with the red-orange insignia of the Organization emblazoned smartly on the chest. The material seemed to gently pull in the light, yet simultaneously be reflective. His face was pale as moonlight and almost unmarked, save for a diamond-shaped scar near his right ear. His hair was reminiscent of a phoenix in flight, burning up the black skies. His...

_Oh stop it and get on with the date._

Blue eyes narrowed.

_Date?_

The smile was almost _audible._

_I'm kidding. Just get over there and stop mapping out his body from head to toe._

"Hey Roxas! You came!" Axel seemed overjoyed.

"You didn't think I would?" came the quiet reply. Axel's face fell for a moment.

"Of course I did...I'm just happy to see you. There's some stuff I want to show you, and some stuff I _have _to tell you. Walk with me?" Roxas nodded, and the two black-cloaked teens set off down the hallway. A blindingly white grin was pasted on Axel's face as he spoke.

"I want to show you my baby, Roxas. She's _beautiful._" The redhead didn't notice one blond eyebrow moving ever-higher. "I've only just finished her and I want to take her for a spin." The eyebrow rose to a truly magnificent height before it came crashing down.

"What?" Roxas stopped walking and stared piercingly at Axel, the question obvious in his glare. Well, at his back, anyway. The small blonde crossed his arms and pouted a bit as his companion walked down the hallway, chattering animatedly to a boy who was supposed to be walking alongside him. Finally, he looked to the side, and noticed that he was talking to...no one. He whirled around and looked at Roxas.

"What's wrong?" A piercingly blue glare was all the response he received.

_There's a 93.5 chance he's jealous. _Now ignoring Roxas, Axel raised an eyebrow and mentally scoffed.

_Lexy, you have no idea what you're talking about do you? Jealous of what? _The initiate winced as he felt a spark inside of his brain. _Ow! Stop that! _In the back of his mind, he noticed that Roxas winced too.

_Shut up, you big baby. I'm talking to Blue. _A pause. _He says that his admittedly imperfect emotion-analytic algorithms tell him that Roxas is, in fact, jealous, and whenever he thinks about you some emotion flares up. He also misinterpreted the word 'baby.' _

_Oh._

A wide, predatory grin spread across Axel's face. It all made sense now; the jealousy, unknown emotions, the shyness... _Well, if that's the case, _the redhead thought as he drew his conclusions, _I might as well be a little..aggressive. No point letting something like this go to waste. _

Confidently, Axel began stepping towards the smaller male, causing a wave of anxiety and fear to sweep through the blonde. He began stepping backwards, but came to a jarring halt as his back hit a wall. Deep within the neurons in his brain, he felt a deep and slightly evil-sounding snicker.

_Oh, this is very interesting. _

Blue pools widened in fright. _What is happening?_ There was a sudden blur of motion, and then he was pushed even harder against the wall. An ebon hand rested on his shoulder, and he felt a slight pressure on the small of his back; another hand. And in front of him, a pale oval of skin, embellished by flame-red hair and lips. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, he felt a slight tickle on his ear, infinitely light and caring.

_Aww, the little baby has found somebody. _Roxas was so distracted, he almost didn't hear the snide remark from inside his head. That was okay, he didn't really care. There were more important things to worry about. Like a certain redhead who was sensually whispering in his ear.

"I didn't know, Roxy," came a soft puff of breath which seemed to set all of his nerves on fire, "You should tell me these things so I don't have to figure them out by myself." Numbly, Roxas found himself nodding in agreement.

He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a soft groan.

Blink.

A blur of black and red motion, a viselike grip on his hand, a jerk. And suddenly he was flying down the hallway just behind Axel. Or more accurately, being dragged by a flying Axel. It was exhilarating, but at the same time, deathly scary. The hallways, kilometers of them, Blue duly informed him later, flashed by at blinding speed. A burst of sound entered Roxas' enhanced ears, but even so he barely heard it.

"Come on! We're almost there!" And indeed they were. With an unbecoming grace, Axel slid to a halt, somehow lightly landing on his feet while a tired, panting Roxas fell at his side.

_Oh Roxas, tired already? Look at Axel, standing up and not even breathing hard...Do I have to inject some adrenaline or something directly into your bloodstream? _Roxas didn't even pay attention; he was more concerned with reintroducing oxygen to his lungs.

_You know what, fine. Adrenaline it is. _An almost unnoticed twinge in his head, and then a rushing feeling of energy cascaded through the blonde's veins. He felt the strength return to his limbs, re-energizing them. Quickly, the initiate picked himself off of the floor and dusted himself off. Glancing to his right, he noticed that his redheaded companion had a knowing smile on his face.

"Pretty potent stuff, huh?" The edge of Axel's mouth quirked upwards ever so slightly.

"You could say that."

A black-gloved hand beckoned before pointing towards an automatic door. Above it were some blinking red words. "PRIVATE HANGAR – SECURITY CONFIRMATION REQUIRED" Roxas blinked. Axel, barely an initiate for longer than Roxas(only a half year!) didn't have access to a private hangar, did he?

"Hey, uh..Axel? Are you sure this is the right door?" Smiling mysteriously, the boy nodded and stepped forward to the door, before stopping directly in front of a strange black tile on the wall.

"One moment..." came a synthesized female voice, "Retina pattern confirmed. Please extend your right finger and swipe the tile." Chuckling, Axel rolled his eyes and complied.

"I suppose there's a whole bunch of people with my retina running around, huh?" Then the voice came again, sounding a bit amused this time.

"Please remove your glove." The flame-haired teen slapped his forehead and chuckled again before narrowing his eyes.

"Shut up, Lexy." A pause. "Yes, I know it's happened the last three times."

"One moment...fingerprint confirmed, doors unlocked." There was a clanging sound as massive bolts moved inside the door, allowing Axel and Roxas to step through...

Into a massive room. No, massive was very weak word. In fact, it almost couldn't be considered a room at all; it was a chamber, a warehouse. And it was dark. Pitch black, in fact.

_Hey Roxy, want me to help with that? Or are you too proud? _Grumbling about certain implants and exactly where they could stuff themselves, Roxas nodded his assent before suddenly wincing as the muscles in his face involuntarily spasmed. Then the darkness of the room was replaced with perfect vision.

_Okay, not perfect; everything has a weird red tint to it, but a lot better than looking through pitch. _

To his surprise, Axel had already walked deep into the chamber, stopping in front of a black wall. Sighing, Roxas walked over beside his friend.

"What did you want to show me, Axel?" the blonde asked tiredly. The effects of the adrenaline injection were wearing off, he thought.

_Ooh, is Roxy boy getting addicted?_

_Shut up._

Axel laughed a little before ruffling the blonde's hair, much to his displeasure.

"Why, this, of course," said the redhead, pointing to the wall.

"This?" Roxas asked dubiously, raising an eyebrow. As far as he could tell with his darkvision, it was just another wall, unremarkable and totally like the others. Shrugging, he reached out to touch it before jerking his hands back. Or trying to, anyway. His face paled, shining in the darkness like the full moon itself. That was no wall.

_Why, hello there, little thing, _came a sibilant voice, seeming to come within his head and echo from all around him simultaneously. Roxas couldn't seem to pull his hand back, even though he _felt _the metal move under his gloved fingertips.

_Are you a friend of Axel's? _The voice spoke again. _You have his feel on you. _With a massive burst of willpower, the blonde threw himself backwards, flying onto the slippery black floor and sliding across it. Sitting up in a panic, he burst out angrily.

"What the hell?" In an instant, Axel was in front of him, helping him to his feet with a detachedly amused expression on his face.

"It's not funny!" the blonde snapped defensively. "That...thing talked to me!"

"What?" came his friend's ignorant-sounding reply, "What thing?"

Roxas attempted to look angry, narrowing his eyes. It didn't work, the effect ruined by a wobbling lip.

"The wall!"

"Roxas, dear, walls don't talk."

"That one did!" Roxas exclaimed, pointing at the not-wall.

"Roxas, dear, that's because _that's _not a wall."

Roxas opened his mouth, about to ask the question at the forefront of his mind, when the not-wall grabbed him. In the dull blood-red light of Roxas' unnatural vision, he saw and felt a slick, faintly gleaming appendage wrap around his arm. Like oil across water, he felt it slide up his arm, forming a tight chrome layer over his skin. Panic set in for a moment before fading away like an ephemeral dream. Roxas' mouth opened again, this time in shock, as he noticed the living metal beating in time to the pounding of the blood in his ears.

_Don't run away from me, _the voice came across as very close, intimate, and personal, but moreover, with a playful tone. _I'm not that scary. _

"A-axel?" Roxas' teeth were chattering involuntarily, "H-help me?" A mischievous grin came across the redhead's face before he crossed his arms and shook his head slowly.

"Nope, you're on your own, pal." Roxas narrowed his eyes. "Don't give me that. I swear she doesn't bite." Then Axel made a suspicious coughing noise that sounded something like "too much, anyway." Biting his lip, the blonde summoned his courage and turned his attention back to the not-wall that was currently wrapped around his right arm.

_W-what are you? _An ambient-sounding laugh echoed throughout his head.

_Don't stutter. I'm not scary. In fact, I'm on my best behavior right now. Axel would never forgive me if I wasn't nice to his new puppy. _A small flare of indignation blazed inside Roxas for a moment before he forcefully pushed it down. He couldn't respond to it's teasing.

_So, - _he began. But before he could get halfway through his thought, the entity seemed to already know what he was asking.

_What am I? That's a very interesting question with many possible answers. But that's not enough for you, is it, my little inquisitive puppy? _Roxas bristled at the diminutive but let it go over his head once more. _At my core, I am simply programming. On top of that, I have feelings and a personality. In fact, I am much like your DeepBlue, except smarter in every way.. _the blonde felt a burst of unreasonable anger flow through him, considering he didn't much like the implant himself _... and I don't live in a body. That's why I have to interface with you in a more physical manner. _

_As for what I am, _the sibilant voice continued, once again answering an unasked question, _I am the _Nemo.

"What?" Roxas blurted out, not even bothering to think it. And with that, a blinding flash of light came from nowhere and everywhere at once, throwing spears of bright whiteness deep into the blonde's eyes. Saying it hurt was a bit of an understatement, Roxas managed to think objectively as he shrieked in pain. Moments later, he found himself on his knees with a strange chrome appendage wrapped around his right arm, a strange wall in front of him, patchy spots in his vision, and most maddeningly, Axel chuckling somewhere off to his left.

_That bastard turned on the lights!_

Taking a deep breath, the blonde prepared to turn around and empty all of his anger at the teasing redhead, when suddenly a deep and profound realization sent that event to the very back of his mental to-do list.

_So it really _isn't _a wall, after all, _Roxas thought as he followed the...chunk of metal down the room with his eyes. Except, he thought a moment later, it was much too graceful to be a "chunk," it had beautiful, curving lines and a nicely shaped prow.

_Wait. A prow?_

DeepBlue never wasted an opportunity to tease his host, and now wasn't an exception.

_No, a scantily clad prostitute. Of course it's a prow, idiot!_

It all made sense now. The _Nemo _wasn't a wall, it was...

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Axel asked, "She's my baby, alright."

_Uhh, not exactly what I was going for, but..._

_So, does widdle baby Roxy know what the bad not-wall-monster is?_

_Shut up._

Remembering that item on the back of his to-do list, namely, to maul Axel into small chunks of meat, Roxas twirled on his heel...

Forgetting that there was a gleaming, very strong metal grip on his right arm. Most ungracefully, he collapsed on the floor in a tangle of twisted limbs. Sharp pains shot through his arms and legs as he mentally slapped himself. DeepBlue giggled. Roxas didn't.

Cracking one pale blue eye open, he was treated to the sight of Axel, standing in an almost defiant, balanced way, his black robes flowing around him, and his hair shifting in the wind like a dancing flame. He didn't even need to strike a pose.

_Wait, wind?_

Then, most unexpectedly, Axel extended his left hand towards Roxas in a most gentlemanly way, almost as one would do to a lady before helping her up. A small, amused smile crossed Axel's perfect lips as the thought crossed his mind. He had no doubt if Roxas knew what he was thinking, _he _would most definitely not be amused.

"Shall we go?" Roxas blinked. The tone of voice sounded rich and deep, not at all like the redhead's normally teasing tone. Giving a small grin, he grabbed Axel's hand and let himself be pulled up. Axel held his hand for a moment more than was strictly necessary, before letting his hand fall away. Even seconds after the physical contact had faded away, Roxas swore that he could feel electric tingles running through his hand like tiny sparks.

Then, with Roxas watching closely, Axel snapped his fingers. For a moment, nothing happened. Suddenly, the metal in front of them rippled like the surface of water on a calm lake. As if a small zephyr was passing through, the waves on the metal increased in size before revealing a sizable doorway.

With no spoken word, no plea for permission, the tall initiate firmly took Roxas hand, and the pair walked into the darkness.

They were in their own world here, protected from the outside world by a thick transparent canopy and walls of living metal.

_Snap!_

Roxas jumped and glanced over at his redheaded companion. The teen was leaning back on his plush chair with his eyes closed; milky-white hands resting on a table next to a pair of recently discarded elastic black gloves. Axel opened his mouth and took in a deep breath, then the muscles around his closed eyes tightened infinitesimally. All the lights in the cockpit flashed all the colors of the rainbow and then some. Three-dimensional displays and readouts flickered to life around the pair. Roxas smiled. Axel definitely had style.

Axel's eyes slipped open slowly, almost lazily, belying his great concentration. Abruptly, the serious facade cracked, and a typical mix of amusement, optimism, and confidence spread across the redhead's face.

"Time to show you the world, Roxy." Roxas smiled uncertainly. _What does that mean?_

Ignoring the blonde's expression, Axel tapped two glowing green pads on each side and to the front of him. Roxas raised his eyebrows as the surface trembled...

_Like, like..._

_Jello. It's a rather revolting substance that was consumed in 20th and 21st centuries, especially in the Western World. It is generally made from powder, and has a consistency that is not entirely solid or liq-_

_I get it. _Roxas narrowed his eyes. _Don't you get that it's annoying to hear an entire encyclopedia's worth of knowledge on 'Jello?'_

A deep, highly amused laugh could be heard deep within Roxas' skull. If you were Roxas, anyway. Axel just raised his eyebrow at the blonde's annoyed expression.

_Of course I know. It's just fun to piss you off._

"Uh, what are those?" Roxas asked, feeling a bit stupid. Axel's smile grew just a little bit wider. He loved showing off his creations.

"They're gel pads that I use to control the _Nemo. _I put my hands on them..." Axel gently placed his hands flat on the pads, making them wobble. Several red lights winked green. "And they scan my fingerprints and the pattern of arteries and veins in my hand. If they recognize me, then they activate the controls." He looked at Roxas, begging and daring him to ask how the controls worked. Not feeling in the mood to play games, Roxas complied.

"And how do the controls work?" Another blinding smile.

"Well, if I pull my palms a little bit away from the pad..." there was a disgusting wet sucking noise as the flat of Axel's palm pulled away from the sticky gel, accompanied by a lurch that reverberated throughout the entire vessel.

_That sounds almost like two people kissing. Making out more like it. Axel and me on a moonlit night, high up on a balcony-wait! Where did that come from??_

_Roxy's away in his own romantic world, eh?_

_I swear I'll find away to switch you off!_

_Well, I can find a way to turn you on!_

Roxas actually growled, the low sound filling the cabin.

_You wouldn't, Blue!_ The blonde could _hear _the smirk.

_Wanna bet? Now wouldn't that be awkward..._

Sighing in disgust, Roxas abandoned talking to something no one else could see or hear and looked out of the clear canopy. Blue eyes squinted in concentration. Something was wrong with this picture.

_Oh._

They weren't on the ground anymore. All other matters becoming of secondary importance in his mind, Roxas whirled towards Axel. A maniacal grin had placed itself square on the redhead's face. Roxas decidedly did not like that look.

"What exactly are you doi-"

"Three."

"Axel!" The blonde cried.

"Two."

"AXEL!"

"One."

"I swear-"

"Roxy-time!"

And with that, Axel firmly pressed the tips of his fingers into the gel.

_Rrooom!_

The world teetered a bit, then tilted sideways, then abruptly and very rudely turned all the way upside down as an ear-shatteringly loud roar blasted through the cabin. Roxas felt(and watched) his eyes slide up under his eyelids, felt the muscles in his skin try to plaster themselves to the chair behind him, felt his tongue wedge itself in his throat. In the very back of his mind, he noticed that there weren't metal hangar walls around them anymore. But above it all, he heard the crazed laugh that was coming somewhere from his right.

And then it was over.

Roxas forced his eyes down to their normal position, pulled himself off of the chair, and gave a murderous glare to the occupant of the chair immediately to the right of him.

Twisting, laughing green pools met the twin cold, screamingly pissed-off, frozen lakes that were Roxas' eyes.

"Teehee."

"What. The. _Hell._" Every word was an iceberg; a very angry iceberg that was on the verge of sinking Titanic if it didn't have a good explanation for itself.

If the redhead was intimidated in the least, he didn't show it. Instead, he reclined in his pilot's chair and leisurely ran a hand through his hair.

"I think I might have pressed that too hard." When seeing that the blonde's murderous expression hadn't changed, he grinned charmingly.

"That was the thrust control, in case you didn't notice." Unable to keep hold of his anger in the face of such charm, yet unwilling to let the small smile that was struggling to come out on his face, Roxas decided to turn away and sulk. Wrong move, Roxas was to find out later. Or perhaps, a very right one.

The blonde peeked out of the corner of his eye at his friend and let his pout become more pronounced.

The once blazingly red spikes lost some of their flamelike color, drooping. Axel's face fell, and for once in his life, he looked somewhat apologetic. No, make that _very _apologetic.

_He likes you._

Roxas internally sighed. _Haven't we been over this already?_

_I've looked through Lexy's files. He's never been this downtrodden over something this small before. Ever._

_Whatever._

"I'm really sorry, Roxas. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to make you lighten up a bit. Please forgive me. I'll never do it again, ever."

Roxas let out a deep sigh. He wasn't going to let Axel wallow in this mood; it didn't fit him.

_Although I must say, he's a bit cute when he's like – never mind. I'm not going to give him more ammunition._

"It's alright. I was just a bit surprised." Seeing no change of expression on the redhead's pale face, the blonde reached over and stroked his cheek. "Honestly, don't worry about it. No harm done, I promise."

Green eyes raised to meet blue. "Do you..forgive me?"

"Of course."

A heartfelt smile spread itself across Axel's face. Then...

"Wanna play cards?"

"...What?"


End file.
